In the past a telecom operator provided the broadband access gateway, providing residential users access to the broadband network of the telecom operator. In modern residential network architecture the telecom operator is now also installing pure local area network (LAN) devices in the residential environment, hence, creating a residential access network.
Today telecom operators differentiate themselves amongst each other as service providers, whereby they not only deliver the broadband access service but also services like, for example, but not limited to, voice over internet protocol (VoIP), internet protocol television (IPTV), video on demand (VoD), or home security. To enable these services a residential access service network is mandatory. A residential access network is a network that is either owned by the telecom operator or where the end user is obliged to purchase networking equipment from the telecom operator as the hardware (HW) and software (SW) are optimized to deliver the service set that is offered by the operator.
The operation and maintenance (OAM) of such a residential access network is a substantial cost for the telecom operator and, hence, depending on the complexity of the installation the telecom operator resorts to “do it yourself” (DIY) installation procedures. For many end users this practice is acceptable, but there is still a large portion of the customer base where the end user is unable to complete the install, hence, requiring onsite assistance, which is costly for both the telecom operator as well as the end user.
For WLAN, the most applicable installation methods today include Wi-Fi protected setup (WPS) and manual installation of security credentials via a user manual. WPS, though technically viable, is still unknown to the larger public and still has shortcomings in terms of security and usability. For example, the push button configuration method can allow accidental pairing of an undesired device or the WPS state machines signal their state via a LED framework which is not understood by end users facing issues. Manual configuration via mobile applications or a graphical user interface (GUI) is not easy for the end user community as this requires the devices to be configured offline via a PC with Ethernet for instance. As today the majority of end users don't even know how to use Ethernet or how to assign fixed IP addresses, this can be a cumbersome activity.
With more and more telecom operators requiring the installation of a residential access network there is more and more pressure to relieve the end user from having to correctly install the devices of such a network, such as, for example, an access point (AP), a station (STA), and/or a repeater (RE). While pairing two WLAN devices is not that difficult, it turns out that WLAN configuration issues still account for a relatively big portion of the total amount of helpdesk calls that arrive at a telecom operator. The cumbersome part is that either an end user has to arrange access of some form to the devices to fill in the security credentials, such as, for example, service set identifier (SSID), Wi-Fi protected access with a pre-shared key (WPA PSK) or a passphrase, or Wi-Fi protected setup (WPS) must be used. While it is relatively easy to use WPS for pairing of WLAN devices, it remains a fact that the protocol itself remains unpopular and even unknown to the majority of end users. Furthermore, the WPS protocol is still error prone and cumbersome. For instance, if an end user launches a pushbutton configuration action (PBC) an undesired device, for example, from another end user busy with the same action, might connect or there can be session overlaps with other devices.
European Patent EP 1 520 375 B1 is directed to increasing the security of wireless networks and provides a system and method for detecting unauthorized wireless access points. Unauthorized wireless access points are detected by configuring authorized access points and mobile units to listen to all wireless traffic in its cell and report all detected wireless devices to a monitor. The monitor checks the reported devices against a list of authorized network devices. If the reported wireless device is not an authorized device, the monitor determines if the reported device is connected to the network. If the reported device is connected to the network and is not an authorized device, the monitor alerts the network operator or network manager of a rogue device connected to the network and attempts to locate and isolate the rogue device.
International patent application publication WO 2012/084626 A1 is directed to a method for inter-domain communications between end network domains through an intermediate network domain, and provides a method for explicitly notifying the intermediate network domain border router to the end network domains border routers about its relay capabilities.
Indian Patent application publication IN 2012 202521 P4 provides a method, device, and system for automatic internet protocol (IP) address assignment. An IP address auto configuration protocol is used to remotely and automatically configure an IP address. A bearer network may be Layer 3 IP network, and the Layer 3 IP network only needs to be configured with simple route information.
Still, the known prior art does not provide a telecom operator with a mechanism to establish a residential access network without end user interaction that has a low cost operation and maintenance.